TEMPO Magazine, No. 27/III/March 11 - 17, 2003
Power Tug-of-War
President Megawati has quietly signed two government regulations in an attempt to
curb the power of local administrations.
The central government is quietly bracing itself for what it expects to be forthcoming,
because the two government regulations (PP) signed by President Megawati on
February 17, 2003 curb a number of local powers that the regencies and cities have
only for a very short time been enjoying. The local administrations reject the move,
however.
The two government regulations are PP No. 8/2003 on Guidelines on the Organization
of Local Administration Tools and PP No. 9/2003 on the Power to Appoint, Transfer,
and Dismiss Civil Servants. However, to the regency and city administrations the
promulgation of the two regulations entails their having to close down some of their
agencies which then would be returned to the jurisdiction of the central and provincial
governments.
PP No. 8/2003 states unequivocally that each regency or city administration shall
have at most ten agencies and eight technical institutions. "This means that we have
to cut back the number of our agencies and technical institutions," notes Hasbullah
Djabar, the Regent of Gowa, South Sulawesi Province. What it boils down to is that
half of Gowa's 20 agencies and four of its 12 offices will have to be closed or merged.
Law No. 22/1999 on Local Administration clearly vests local administrations with the
power to establish technical institutions in the form of agencies or offices. This
authorization also concerns the naming of those agencies and offices. "What's
needed in such cases is but the approval of the local legislative council (DPRD),"
Hasbullah contends.
The two government regulations promptly became the topics of the day at local
administration offices in Gowa. As a result, employee performance went down. "They
are worried about the consequences," Hasbullah says. So, in the name of the Gowa
Regency Administration he rejects both PPs out of hand.
Makassar city, the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, too, balks at the move. This
city would have to close at least eight of its 18 agencies and ten offices. "Those PPs
are a setback in the journey of local autonomy," declares Makassar Mayor Amiruddin
Maula.
What's wrong with those PPs? PP No. 9/2003, for example, requires the provincial
governor's approval in each appointment or dismissal of a government official of
Echelon II, while Law No. 22/1999 stipulates that those actions belong to the authority
of the regent or mayor subject to the approval of the local legislature.
As a consequence, the two PPs have become hot items likely to trigger local
defiance against the central government. According to Amiruddin Maula, the
association of local autonomous governments, which has a membership of 187 city
administrations and 340 regency administrations in the whole of Indonesia, has
already declared its rejection.
Rudy Alfonso, Executive Director of the All-Indonesia Association of City Legislative
Councils (Adeksi), which counts 68 city legislatures as its members, announces that
Adeksi will determine its position this week. "Adeksi will not hesitate to reject those
PPs if they indeed run counter to the spirit of local autonomy," he says.
The central government's attempt at taking back some of the powers vested in the
autonomous areas may well be just a short-cut bid to restore its dominance over the
regions. Ever since the proclamation of local autonomy on January 1, 2001, the new
Indonesian state administrative system has never been truly applied.
In the era of President Abdurrahman Wahid, State Minister for Regional Autonomy
Ryaas Rasyid chose to quit his cabinet post, upset as he was about the central
government's endeavor to consolidate its domination of the regions. Ryaas was fed up
with Abdurrahman's reluctance to sign some 100 presidential decrees favoring the
implementation of local autonomy.
Of late, the central government proposed revision of Law No. 22/1999 on all kinds of
pretext. The move had the backing of the provincial governors but was squarely
opposed by four local administration association comprising city and regency
administrations and legislatures throughout Indonesia.
Frustrated in its revision bid, Jakarta tried another way. None other than the issuance
of the two PPs. "The two PPs demonstrate violations of the law by the central
government itself," notes Regent Hasbullah.
The Home Affairs Department's Central Director of Local Autonomy, Oentarto S.
Mawardi, denies that the central government is out to curb local administration power
through the two PPs. "Rather they are meant to bring order," he told Sri Wahyuni of
TEMPO News Room.
Oentarto cited the issue of many regional administrations refusing to appoint officials
who are not natives of the regions concerned. Even though not fit yet for the post, he
observed, "just because one is a native of the region, one gets the appointment. It's
things like this that we want to correct through those PPs."
TomiLebang, Muannas(Makassar)
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